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I have read that drives for Royal Enfield  may work on a Dominator, As they are a fraction of the price of drives for Nortons but possibly made in the same place?? , I am  interested,Has anyone any information?.

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Will be Indian made - Make of that what you will. My 650 Enfield is amazingly good quality. 18 months old, no issues whatsoever and still a joy to ride, but that is obviously fitted with OEM parts. Aftermarket items can be variable in their quality, but generally they still do what they are supposed to do.

If the ratio is correct and the price low enough, it has to be worth a try.

Regards, George 

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The classic UK made Enfields would have used the same suppliers (Smiths) as Norton. 

Give Hitchcock motorcycles a call and ask them if the Indian made drives will fit old UK Enfields.  They will know and probably sell you one at a sensible price too.

Regards, George. 

 

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I'm going to need a new drive cable too.  for a 99 with std Headlight.  Looks like 70"  should be the most common  but does not seem so.

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I purchased two Indian speedo heads, drives and cables. Both cost around £22 including postage and came within 2 weeks. On both of them I had to mess around with the drive gearbox in order for the Dominator rear wheel spacer to fit inside.

The first one of them was a single Chronometric look-alike clock but the head was cone-shaped and consequently difficult to mount. It was really suited to being set inside a headlamp. Also the Drive gearbox contained a round Nylon block which acted as a guide for the large worm gear. This started to squash when the axle was tightened and was subsequently removed. The good news being that the output shaft had the correct 1/8" square drive socket and ferrel thread for a British cable.  After sorting out the Nylon guide (which is gold coloured in the photo) and mounting the speedo head this combination served me well for nearly 4,000 miles.

The other Indian purchase was for a full set of Smith clocks that were copies of the Magnetic variety. Apart from being about 1/2" taller these had the correct studs for fitting to a Norton fork top mounting plate. The clocks looked good but the drive cable was too short by miles and used a far thinner inner. My longer standard Norton drive cable had square ends that were too large for the speedo and its gearbox. Eventually I made up a special inner which worked. Like the first drive gearbox there was an inner guide for the large worm gear but this time made out of metal. Although sold as a 2 to 1 ratio the whole set-up worked as a 4 to 1 and consequently my motor-way cruise speed was always around 140mph. This proved to be too much for the milometer to cope with which displayed 100 miles and then started counting backwards.

I concluded that the speed and vibration of my 650 were too much for such cheaply made items so would not be purchasing any more of these Indian goodies.

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Hi Phill, thanks for the laughs!!, I have worked out that the 70" cable on my std 99 was probably designed for the later SS bike. I think (but don't know) that the right cable for a 99 should be the short nut 67and1/2"  one. Current pattern cables don't have the 8" armored section at the top so It would be nice to find a new 70" inner to retain my existing outer. I think the lengths are quoted as the overall inner length.    Not sure that the 671/2  ----which is 21/2 " shorter than mine will be long enough. Gaggs seem to be a good bet as a supplier?. I have just given my chrono a bit of a service , probably killed it!.

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J Johnson Cables near Warwick or Carrot Cycles in Lincoln both advertise that they will make bespoke cables. Carrots have a website but JJ cables are old school snail mail or phone.

Have good experience with JJ's, only seen Carrot cycles advertising. I am sure that Johnsons would know exactly the length you need for your bike from their lists. Might even sell you just an inner to suit your existing outer. 

Regards, George 

I expect you meant  that Robert should ask Hitchcocks if the Indian made drives would fit the old Nortons?  I would assume that they will fit Enfields.

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I found a lack of clarity in what an Enfield drive and cable are. So instead contacted JJ cables (thanks George) who will make me a new inner to my old pattern .very economical and means I can keep my Smiths Armoured outer. A slimline 60 featherbed should have a 671/2" cable , interestingly mine has a 70 inch which is listed as fitting an early SS . Can't see why it should be longer,unless it was run along the top of the frame?.Mine takes the lower Route and seems to have a little spare length ,not a problem.

 


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